King Arthur: Generation of Life
by Black-Ribbon
Summary: The three knights that had fallen, will rise again, a knight who was alone, will find his saviour and a love that is made,will stand stronger than all to walk this earth. When Keirai enters the realm,she looks for someone long gone,but will love save them
1. Rekindled Life

Arthur sat by the grave's that belonged to his noble companions, Dagonet, Tristan and Lancelot.  
  
"Lord why did you take them, it was my life that should have been taken so that they could have the freedom long deserved to them, not this."  
  
Tears were rolling down his face. He often came here alone to talk to his deceased knights, he never had accepted the fact that they had died.  
  
"Lord, please bring them back tonight, please give them their freedom, and I will pay you back ten fold, I will do anything you ask of me. I know your power; please use it now, for their sakes."  
  
He waited, nothing. Just the evening breeze rustling through the trees, sweeping back his hair.  
  
"Fine, I will return to my people, but mark my words, the next time one of my knights is spared, I will have no mercy against the church"  
  
He arose from the ground and walked back to the fortress where the people were happy, they danced and sang and were happy. None of them but Guinevere, Bors, Galahad and Gawain knew of his loss.  
  
As he disappeared over the hills, the wind strengthened, a sudden glow of moonlight came from the clouds and the ground began to shake. A swirl of black clouds as in the sky, and Tristan's sword fell to lie edgeways across his grave. The ground shook more violently and Merlin was watching from the trees. He felt the ground shake, the earth was rebirthing…  
  
With a flash of lightning a body appeared by the edge of the forest. It was a man. His hair was dark, it hung over his face in its straight strands, some of it braided. His eyes flickered open; they were dark and black, mysterious and charming. His body seemed stiff as he pushed himself up, on his arms. He stared down at the mound of earth, at the grave. A curved oriental sword lay upon it, the black handle tattered. He bent down and picked it up in his hand, holding it in front of his face.  
  
"Finally, I've been waiting for you to come back."  
  
The man looked over his shoulder, swirls of ash's had formed in the air to create a man, tall and handsome, two short broad bladed swords where in scabbards crossed across his back.  
  
"Lancelot?"  
  
The man smiled and walked towards him,  
  
"Who else looks this gorgeous?"  
  
The man smiled and clasped Lancelot on the shoulder.  
  
"I suppose Arthur's god was good for something, rebirth."  
  
Lancelot smiled,  
  
"I still won't praise him Tristan, no matter how much he saved me. I'll always be a pagan"  
  
"Where's Dagonet?"  
  
"Right here"  
  
A bald man with a large axe appeared next to them. He was smiling.  
  
"The Knights of the Round Table are reborn, let's go scare people!"  
  
Lancelot said laughing,  
  
"No"  
  
Tristan replied,  
  
"Let's go see Arthur."  
  
They smiled and walked over the hill, heading for the fortress of Arthur and Guinevere. Another knight also rode towards the fortress, upon a black horse. They were cloaked and their pale skin was reflected in the moonlight. They halted before the gates.  
  
"Who goes there?"  
  
"I am a friend of Arthur, I come to visit him"  
  
"Open the gate!"  
  
The large iron gates slowly opened, and the mysterious rider came forth inside. They were greeted by Galahad.  
  
"Welcome, what business do you hold here?"  
  
"I am here to see Sir Lancelot,"  
  
The rider pulled back their hood. It was a woman, clad in leather armour, with a long curved oriental sword in a scabbard at her waist, and two long oriental knives crossed over her back. She had long black hair, and dark emerald eyes,  
  
"I am his cousin and only remaining relative after they were killed by the Roman Empire."  
  
Galahad paused and caught his breath. She wasn't lying, her eyes and face were that of Lancelot's and she bore a striking resemblance to him.  
  
"My lady I am afraid to say he died, in the battle of Hadrins wall, not two years ago."  
  
He lowered his head in an awkward silence, and the girl looked crest fallen. Her eyes watered and she wiped away the hot tears furiously. Her face now ridden with anger and sadness.  
  
"Take me to see King Arthur"  
  
"Im afraid that is impossible, he will not see anyone at the present time"  
  
She drew her sword from its scabbard, Galahad paused as he looked at it, and it was identical to that of Tristan's, except it had a finer oriental curve. She held it to his throat.  
  
"Take me to see King Arthur"  
  
Galahad gulped and smiled awkwardly,  
  
"Of course my lady,"  
  
"You can stop calling me my lady, I am Keirai"  
  
He led her across the courtyard, Gawain and Bors joining him halfway as he led her up too Arthur's quarters.  
  
A loud knock emitted on the door, Arthur was sitting on a stool, staring at the tiny wooden wolf emblem he had found by Lancelot's body.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
"Galahad Arthur, you have a visitor"  
  
"I will see no one I thought I told you that"  
  
He heard commotion behind the door and the drawing of a sword. A quick flash of silver ran down the line of the door frame and it fell to the floor, leaving a woman standing to face him.  
  
"Where is Lancelot!?"  
  
She cried and stepped inside, looking around but mostly looking straight at Arthur.  
  
"Galahad who is this woman?"  
  
Galahad opened his mouth to speak, but the woman answered quickly herself,  
  
"I am Keirai, Lancelot's cousin. I have come to ask him why he did not return to his home after all those years, like he said he would."  
  
Arthur paused and stood up, pushing his hands through his hair.  
  
"He is dead my lady, I am sorry"  
  
"He cannot be dead, I won't accept it"  
  
"You better because it's true"  
  
Gawain piped up, with his words she drew her sword once more and put it across his neck,  
  
"If its is true you better shut up or you will soon be joining him"  
  
She hissed, staring deep into his hazel eyes. He gulped and closed his mouth, not uttering another word. Arthur fondled the wooden wolf emblem in his hands before holding it out to her.  
  
"Here, you should have this. It was the only possession Lancelot had with him when he died."  
  
"Lupus…"  
  
She muttered as she took it, holding it outstretched in her palm. Noticing all eyes were on her, she put it inside her cloak pocket.  
  
"I must ask one other thing of you Arthur, that you take me too his grave,"  
  
Arthur nodded to his knights, and they left the room. Taking Keirai by the hand she led her down the stairs.  
  
"You shall have your wish"  
  
"Lancelot, how exactly do you plan on getting in when everyone thinks were dead!"  
  
"I don't know Tristan, Its not like I knew God was going to bring me back up is it!"  
  
"Shut up someone's coming!"  
  
Dagonet said and they pinned themselves against the walls. They saw Arthur, Galahad, Gawain and Bors head outside, followed by a woman in a hooded cloak. They were heading over the hill to their old graves.  
  
"Come on"  
  
Lancelot whispered and taking the long route through the forest they made their way back to the hilltop where they had been buried.  
  
"Here is his grave, but he does not lay here. He was burned and his ashes were sent away to a strong east wind, towards the sunrise. Beside him are the bodies of his fellow knights, Tristan and Dago- What has happened here!"  
  
Arthur cried as he saw the disturbed earth by Dagonet and Tristan's graves, Tristan's missing sword, Dagonet's axe.  
  
"Galahad, Gawain, Bors, have you seen anyone up here tonight?"  
  
"No one Arthur, no one since you came down from here."  
  
"Then you probably didn't see us"  
  
They all turned to see Lancelot, Tristan and Dagonet, walking out from the woods. Everyone fell silent as Lancelot walked over to Arthur, and clasped him on the shoulder,  
  
"We were saying, your God is good for something, especially rebirth, resurrection that kind of thing"  
  
"Lancelot, your alive?"  
  
The woman said and she pulled back her hood, her bottom lip trembling and her eyes watering.  
  
"Keirai?"  
  
Lancelot whispered and she ran forward, flinging her arms around him in a warm embrace, fondling his hair.  
  
"I thought you were dead…"  
  
"That's funny because so id I"  
  
He smiled and let her go. He turned to his fellow knights,  
  
"Galahad, Gawain. Bors, good old bores, how the old girl doing, and how's number three?"  
  
Bors looked livid but a small smile spread across his face, as he hugged him tightly.  
  
"Both fine Lancelot, both fine."  
  
Tristan didn't talk, he walked over to Galahad and clasped his shoulder smiling, no one saw Keirai though, when he had walked forward into the light her face had fallen, her eyes wide with longing, her face alight with love.  
  
"This is a day for celebration, a wondrous time of love of friendship. Come let us go back, let us weep no longer!"  
  
Arthur said, and Lancelot followed him, closely followed by the other knights, but Tristan seemed to remain behind, staring at the stars.  
  
"I heard you were a mystery"  
  
Keirai said, and Tristan lowered his head in a smile.  
  
"A legend of old, you seemed so perfect before, I doubted that you ever existed."  
  
Tristan turned around; the moonlight flickered upon her features, her wavy hair played across her face and her dark eyes.  
  
"I am a mystery that much is true. No one has ever been able to understand who I am. Until I was brought here to Britain when I was younger, I was completely alone. I had no family, no one to care for me. No one could ever understand what that was like."  
  
His voice was smooth and melancholy, as he lowered his head in sad memories. Keirai walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it warmly. Tristan looked at it, no one had ever touched him before, no one had ever cared…  
  
"I can. Ever since my family were killed by the Romans, I was alone. I came here hoping to find Lancelot, which I have. But the thing is, I still always feel alone…"  
  
Tristan looked up to face her, his eyes were confused and he squinted at her, he looked extremely bemused,  
  
"How can you still feel alone?"  
  
She paused and looked to the stars; they shone like diamonds on a dark velvet cloth, piercing the night.  
  
"Probably because I'm still waiting for the one person I need, the one person that can make me feel whole."  
  
An odd silence crept over them and Tristan was amazed, someone knew how he felt, someone was like him…  
  
He touched her arm and she turned to look at him, his eyes amazed her, the mystery behind them was unknown, but the history seemed sad and regrettable.  
  
"I have had a lot of things happening in my past, melancholy times, regrettable times. Yet now I find you, and they seem to wash away. You understand me; I've never met someone like you before…"  
  
His voice trailed off as he seemed to bend over, lowering his face to meet hers. Her eyes were innocent and charming, they too held mystery behind them, and this was a person just like him, a person who had led his life in their own way.  
He was so close to her now he could see the tears glistening like stars upon her eyelashes, the way they stained her cheeks as they fell when she blinked. He raised a hand to touch her cheek, and she trembled slightly. This was it; this was what Arthur had described to him before, when he had talked to him about Guinevere, love. He leaned in closer, closer, and closer still, she wasn't pulling away, her eyes were closed as her diamond tears fell, until he felt it, their lips had touched, silhouetted against the sky. 


	2. Secrets

The next day Arthur was in a wild fury, despite the fact that his knights had just been resurrected to have the freedom they so long deserved, he had to deny it to them yet again. The Roman Empire had become a huge enemy of Britain, of Arthur and his people. After all he had stood up against the Saxons; he had saved Britain, a small island of no importance to them and taken it for himself. He would not be returning to Rome to serve the Empire.  
  
Therefore they had decided to revolt against him. A large gathering of Roman troops were in the north beyond the great wall. They had taken a large amount of Arthur's people captive. They were waging war against him.  
  
"I don't know what I should do, part of me still belongs to the Roman Empire, but I have to defend my people"  
  
"Arthur you owe nothing to the Roman Empire, nothing! It was because of them that all three of us died in the first place"  
  
"But it is because of their religion that you are back here!"  
  
"That's the point Arthur, their religion, not them! Do you remember back when we were on the rescue mission for Aletto? Do you remember that temple where they had taken people and tortured them for so long, murdering them in the name of your God? Not even your god himself would have wanted that."  
  
Arthur looked at Lancelot, who was leaning on the edge of the round table, breathing heavily,  
  
"Just because they worship this god does not mean they are doing what he wants them too, they are doing what they think is right. Now Arthur, you tell me, is taking people captive for ransom, torturing and murdering pagans and waging war is what your God would want?"  
  
He paused, staring at Arthur who was now sitting at his place, head in his hands full of grief.  
  
"Is it?"  
  
Lancelot said, whispering as if he dared not to speak,  
  
"No Lancelot it is not. You're right I owe nothing to Rome, and Rome does not own me anymore."  
  
He stood up and threw his cloak over his shoulders.  
  
"You will prepare, we are to go above the wall and save our people, but I promise you Lancelot, if you even come near death, whoever touches you will die a painful death."  
  
Lancelot smiled and left the room, closing the door tight shut behind him. Arthur sat down again, burying his face in his hands. This was like the Saxon invasion all over again, and if his knights were hurt he knew he'd never forgive himself. He heard someone enter the room, but did not look to see who, he didn't care right now. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a pair of soft lips upon his brow. He looked up to see Guinevere smiling at him, brushing his hair behind his ears with her hands.  
  
"Don't worry about the invasion, you have won before, you can do it again. How many times have you told me about when you have rode on into battle, outnumbered but yet you still triumph over defeat? With your knights and me by your side we can do it again. I have heard Jermius will be riding to Britain for war,"  
  
"Jermius? Well I promised him before, and I will keep my word. IF he denied my knights freedom for the second time, if he denied it all, no man not even god himself would save him. At least his blood will make the ground holy when I spill it with Excalibur. In battle I will make sure he dies, I will give him an honourable death in war, even though he never deserved it."  
  
He stood up to walk away, Guinevere's hand running from his face down his chest to his hand. He turned back to see her smiling at him, trying to cover her worried expression. He walked back to her and kissed her full dark lips, holding her hands in his.  
  
"We will triumph again"  
  
He whispered softly into her ear before turning and leaving her there, alone in the cold room, her hand resting lightly on the edge of his chair.  
  
"Lancelot, have you warned the other knights of our quest?"  
  
"Yes Arthur, they are all preparing, as well as Keirai, she insisted on coming."  
  
"This is no place for a child"  
  
"Arthur she was a woad with Guinevere, she can handle a bow and is an extremely skilled swordsman, she carries both weapons in my fighting style and Tristan's. Don't leave her behind she could prove useful."  
  
Arthur saw the look in Lancelot's eyes he knew he could not deny him this request, now that he was denying his freedom again.  
  
"Fine she rides with us at first light tomorrow morning; we head for the north, and war."  
  
Lancelot smiled and walked off to prepare. Galahad was in the far corner of the courtyard with Gawain, preparing the horses. Dagonet was saying farewell to the small Pagan boy he had found in the unholy temple, hugging him tightly and ruffling his hair, he treated him like is own son, and had become a father to him. Bors and Tristan though were no where to been seen.  
  
"Galahad where are Bors and Tristan? Where is Keirai?"  
  
"I don't know Arthur; I haven't seen them all morning."  
  
All of a sudden two horses burst into the courtyard, weapons and supplies hanging of their saddles, the one in the lead bearing Bors, who had his hand on his heart and was screaming his wild cry of war before holding out his arm to Arthur. The second horse was bearing Tristan; Keirai was riding with him, two small swords tattooed on either side of her face as was on Tristan's, parts of her long black hair braided.  
  
"Morning Arthur, just went out for a morning ride"  
  
Bors laughed and his eleven children ran towards him, arms outstretched as he jumped down from his horse.  
  
"Gilly! You still been fighting?"  
  
He said picking up a rather tall boy who looked around ten to eleven,  
  
"Yes"  
  
"You still been winning?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"That's my boy"  
  
Bors said putting him down. Tristan had jumped down and taken Keirai's hand and helped her down. Lancelot noticed and walked over, taking out his broad swords and pointing on at Tristan's throat.  
  
"Getting a little friendly aren't we?"  
  
"Only being a gentlemen Lancelot, nothing implied"  
  
Lancelot lowered his sword and slipped them back into their scabbards before walking back to his horse, midway he turned around,  
  
"I've got my eye on you Tristan"  
  
He said smiling and walked off again, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Sorry about him, he's extremely protective of me"  
  
"It's no problem"  
  
Tristan said and smiled, as she ran off to find her horse and prepare him for battle.  
  
At first light the next day the great iron gates were opened, and the seven knights, plus Guinevere and Keirai, rode out to the north. Guinevere and Keirai were talking avidly; they had been woads together for a long time before Keirai had to go back to her homeland, where she found her family dead. She and Lancelot had a giant hatred for the Roman Empire, and they were willing to go at any costs to avenge their family's death.  
  
"Tristan you go ahead, check that the road is clear"  
  
Tristan nodded and rode off ahead; Keirai looked around and without Arthur's word rode after him, her horse quick and cutting gracefully through the wind. Lancelot made after her but Arthur called him back,  
  
"Let her go Lancelot, Tristan could use some help upfront"  
  
Lancelot pulled back reluctantly, to Arthur's side. Guinevere smiled, for Keirai had told her about the night she had kissed Tristan, and how she had fallen for him. None of the other knights knew, and so far neither of them had any intention of telling them about it. Firstly Tristan knew if Lancelot found out he'd kill him. Secondly, they wanted to enjoy the privacy while they could, they knew if the others found out that they'd make a really big deal out of everything.  
  
The night was dawning, and according to Tristan and Keirai the road ahead was clear. Arthur halted and turned to face his knights.  
  
"We camp over in those trees tonight, we ride at dawn"  
  
The others nodded and sped off with haste to the forest area Arthur had pointed up, setting up camp and watch. Woads were in the trees above them, keeping guard of the base. Dagonet had fallen asleep straight away, as did the other knights as the sky darkened.  
  
Lancelot stayed awake, his back to a tall tree and he twiddled his thumbs. All of a sudden Keirai sat down next to him, the small wooden wolf emblem she had recovered in the palm of her hand.  
  
"Remember this? I gave to you that day when you rode off to do your service for the Roman Empire, the day you promised to come back to us"  
  
Lancelot held out his hand and she tipped it onto his palm as he stared at it,  
  
"Lupus… where did you find it?"  
  
"Arthur gave it to me the night I rode here when you were resurrected, he said that since I was the only remaining relative to him I should have it, he found it when they were wrapping your body ready for the burning."  
  
He stroked it with his thumb and looked at his cousin, she was so beautiful, and a damn fine warrior, he would marry her if he could, I mean it wasn't against the law for him too, but he could never marry her, it would complicate things to much.  
  
"You're a fine woman Keirai, Im glad that you're the last of my relatives, I would want it to be anyone else."  
  
She smiled and leaned into his chest as he put his arm around her, closing his eyes in a deep sleep. She though remained awake, for she was watching Tristan, he often kept guard. He was amazing to her, he didn't sleep and he didn't seem to have the need to either. So mysterious, there was a wonderful history behind him, one she knew she'd one day find out about.  
  
She watched him all night, her eyes fixated on his dark eyes, and then all of a sudden he looked her way. He smiled to her and winked when their eyes met, before turning away again, his finger resting upon his bow string. 


	3. The Journey Continues

The wind was becoming fiercer as they travelled up north, snow was beginning to fall thickly upon the ground and there were signs of a blizzard forming in the sky.  
  
"Arthur we need to set up camp, if this blizzard forms motion we will not be able to sustain it"  
  
"We will carry on riding Galahad until I say we should stop, or have you forgotten your place?"  
  
Galahad muttered a muffled sorry before pulling back to ride alongside Gawain.  
  
"Leave it be Galahad, Arthur knows what he's doing, give him the benefit of the doubt"  
  
They rode on further, and the horses were starting to perish under the cold. Lancelot rubbed his horses' neck and whispered to it quietly, before riding back to Arthur.  
  
"We really must make camp Arthur; the horses can't survive in these conditions, please"  
  
Arthur halted and held up his hand to stop the ranks behind him.  
  
"Fine, we make camp in that small cave over there, the curved ice over it could act as some kind of protection."  
  
The riders pulled their horses reins and rode off down to the small mouth of the cave. Bors had set up his tent early, and was sitting inside it, shivering under a thin blanket. Lancelot was on watch outside with Tristan and Keirai, who had her fingers on her bowstring, looking around suspiciously. Arthur was resting against the wall, trying to sleep but he was so restless, his eyes stayed wide open. Guinevere was inside their tent sleeping peacefully, Galahad and Gawain both talking together around a small log fire.  
  
There was a rustle in the trees. Keirai became extremely alert and lifted her bow, her eyes searching between the leaves. Tristan still had his fingers placed upon his bow string, but Lancelot had both his broad blade swords in his hand, twirling them in his fingers. All of a sudden they could hear a heavy breathing sound coming from a small cluster of rocks by the base. Strapping her bow to her back and putting her arrows in her quiver, Keirai drew her oriental sword and watched the small cluster with avid eyes. Lancelot was at her heels and Tristan still far back with his bow in hand.  
  
All of a sudden a flurry of arrows came over the walls. They weren't very powerful, as they bounced of Lancelot's armour when he had jumped in front of Keirai.  
  
Tristan fired and arrow and it flew into the small cluster, and Keirai heard a muffled scream, it had obviously struck someone. Twirling her sword nervously between her fingers, Keirai jumped on top of the cluster, putting her sword across the throats of three men, all dressed in Rome attire.  
  
"Arthur! Come here quick!"  
  
Springing to his feet Arthur ran over to the small cluster of ice she was standing on. He looked down at the roman soldiers. Taking Excalibur from its scabbard, he knocked Keirai's sword away from them.  
  
"You have two choices men, you can either help us, or you can die"  
  
"I'd rather die than take commands from a traitor!"  
  
One of them hissed at him and spat at his feet. Arthur slipped Excalibur back into its sheath and stepped away from them.  
  
"Keirai, Tristan, Lancelot, kill these men in whatever fashion most painful and fit to you"  
  
They nodded and Bors, Galahad and Gawain lifted the soldiers up, tying them to tall ice blocks, their weapons slowly burning on the fire.  
  
"In death they say we gain honour, I promise you knight, you will not have an honourable death and your Christian ways will not bring you to heaven. As soon as I'm finished with you there will be no release, but punishment when you burn in the pits of hell"  
  
Lancelot smiled at his soldier and drew his swords, placing one upon his neck and one below his waist. Very quickly he drew back the sword below the soldier's waist, and removed whatever was there with a swift slashing movement. The soldier squirmed and howled in pain.  
  
"Let me put you out of your misery"  
  
He whispered and slit his throat quickly, his blood melting into the soft snow. Keirai was more instant with her soldier's death, putting all her strength behind her blow and cutting him diagonally in half. Tristan however preferred death by shooting, and trying to see how many arrows they could endure before they actually died.  
  
"We move tonight, if those three have found us news will spread, there could be an entire army here by dawn."  
  
Arthur said as he mounted his horse. All of the knights except Lancelot were seated on their saddles; he was too busy wiping the blood out of his hair.  
  
"Come Lancelot, we haven't got forever!"  
  
Bors cried smiling as Lancelot swung his legs over his horses back and rode into the formation. Smiling at his cousin they began to ride, the horses sliding somewhat one the frozen ground. They turned a corner and Arthur halted, in the fear of a bad memory from long ago. They'd stumbled upon a clearing, frozen over with ice, and seeing it crumble as a brave and courageous man hammered away at the surface with his axe, breaking the barrier between him and his knights, and an army of two hundred Saxons…  
  
His eyes flickered as he tried to repress the memory, Dagonet riding forward and clasping his shoulder.  
  
"Let it go Arthur, were fine now. I'm here I'm alive and I'm well, it's all just a bad memory now…"  
  
Arthur nodded and dismounting his horse he led his company slowly across the ice, the dead faces of Saxons staring at him from under the frozen surface. 


	4. Moving Closer

The nights were growing darker. The stars were veiled, an unknown malice was sleeping in the east, and the pale moon let of a mysterious glow. The knights slept peacefully within their tents, but Lancelot was restless, he sat on a random tree stump next to his tent, cleaning his broad swords on an old rag. The wind rustled through his hair, and he looked up to the skies, the snow swirling around in the air.  
  
"The stars are hidden, veiled from the sky. We only have the moon to give us light,"  
  
Tristan sat down next to Keirai, the moonlight flickering off her face with its mysterious glow. He wrapped his arms around his knees, sighing as he turned to look at her.  
  
"I can never understand you, you're such a mystery"  
  
She looked at him, his deep, dark eyes staring into her own, with an indescribable passion. She smiled and looked out over the camp, it looked so beautiful under a layer of thick snow, she all of a sudden shivered, it was terribly cold on the mountain top, Tristan had led her up here on a narrow path he'd found earlier.  
  
"You're cold"  
  
He spoke, half whispered as he pulled his cloak off his back and placed it around her shoulders, rubbing them warmly with his hands. She leaned into his chest and he rested his chin on her head, her soft hair tickling his face.  
  
"We will go home, we will go home…"  
  
Lancelot sang quietly to himself, slipping his broad swords back into their scabbards. He could see Arthur leaning against a tree not too far from him, his eyes half closed and Excalibur clenched tightly in his hands.  
  
"I love you"  
  
Keirai looked up; Tristan was looking at her, his mysterious dark eyes full of love, his face ridden with passion.  
  
"What? Tristan, I-"  
  
But her words were meaningless; Tristan's lips had closed tight on her own, his soft wild hair falling over her cheeks. His hand rose up to her neck, his thumb lightly grazing her jaw line as they kissed, silhouetted against the moon.  
  
Lancelot looked up to the sky once more, he was now standing on the border of the small forest they had made camp within, his eyes cast upon the mountains. They flickered back and forth and he turned to leave when he saw it, Keirai's figure outlined against the dark sky, her arms around some man, some stranger. He stepped forward and saw, it couldn't be…Tristan. His eyes flared with madness as he grabbed his bow from his back, and fixed an arrow to the string.  
  
"I will strike you down, remember this feeling Tristan, for her fair and untouched lips will be the last thing you ever feel…"  
  
He whispered and pulling back his bowstring fired.  
  
Tristan cried silently as the arrow pierced the left side of his chest, Keirai left speechless as he fell from her hold, his body growing cold.  
  
"Tristan! Speak to me"  
  
She cried, holding her face in his hands, when all of a sudden she saw Lancelot appear at the top of the secret pathway, his bow in hand.  
  
"I never miss"  
  
He hissed, his eyes flaring with happiness and enthusiasm. Keirai pulled the arrow from Tristan's breast, throwing it aside. She kissed his trembling lips and whispered softly to him, 'I love you' slowly before standing up and lunging at her cousin.  
  
"How dare you strike him down?! What's wrong with you Lancelot!?"  
  
"He took advantage of you, he had to die!"  
  
"I love him Lancelot! I love Tristan and if he does not live, no form of re birth or god will save you again when you find your way to hell!"  
  
Her hands were clenched tight round his throat, her thumbs pressing down on his wind pipe. He stuttered to breath when all of a sudden Keirai was knocked off him, Galahad helping him too his feet. Giving up on her attempt of murder she crawled over to Tristan, pushing back his soft fringe from his face and staring into his eyes. He was freezing, his skin seemed to be buried under a thick layer of ice and he made no movement, Keirai though could hear short and deep breaths emitting from his half open mouth. She pulled him up into her arms, cradling him lovingly, tying his cloak around the wound, stifling the blood flow.  
  
Arthur looked over at them, confused as were the other knights. Guinevere though pushed passed them, kneeling down next to the lovers and ripping Tristan's shirt from his masculine torso, starting to clean and dress the wound.  
  
"He's fading fast, I should be able to save him, but I'm going to need your help"  
  
She said, looking at Keirai, who nodded lifting Tristan up, exposing the wound openly so Guinevere could heal it. Lancelot began to walk down the path, Arthur following him.  
  
"Why did you do that? Don't try and say you didn't shoot him Lancelot the arrow next to Tristan's body was of your style, you struck him down"  
  
"He touched Keirai; he took advantage of her untouched and fragile body. I will not let her be treated like that"  
  
"They are in love Lancelot; I could see it from the look in her eyes when she was holding his body up there on the mountaintop. You were trying to help her Lancelot I know that, but through your actions you may have taken the one thing in life now to her, which is irreplaceable."  
  
Lancelot paused, Arthur was right, he had just killed the one thing in life, possibly, that meant more to her than he did himself. What had he done?  
  
"I can't save him, but I will help in any way I can. I can't help but be protective of Keirai, she's all I have, and until tonight, or maybe longer I was all she had. If she stopped caring about me, if she left us I don't know what I'd do."  
  
"Don't worry Lancelot, he's in good hands. Just rest now, everything will be alright, go"  
  
Lancelot walked over to the forest camp where he climbed into his small bed, trying his best to sleep, the guilt forever growing on his conscience. 


End file.
